One brother dead one in custody charged with felony murder

Historic City News has been able to finally decipher the
cryptic bits and pieces of information coming from St Johns County undersheriff
Matt Cline and the department’s civilian media spokesman, Chuck Mulligan. The actual sheriff, David B. Shoar, has not
been seen or spoken in public about the felony murder that occurred yesterday
in a residential neighborhood off SR-16.

The incident at hand is believed to be a botched robbery
attempt by five Jacksonville area men, two of which are brothers. One of the brothers, 24-year-old Paul Eugene
Pettigrew, Jr., was shot and killed by the homeowner at the crime scene reported
to be at 2090 Cowan Road. According to
the records of St Johns County Property Appraiser Eddie Creamer, that is not a
valid address.

Since Pettigrew’s death came because of the robbery attempt,
the remaining four accomplices are each charged with second-degree murder under
Florida’s felony murder rule. No charges
have been filed against the homeowner. The
homeowner appears to have been acting in the lawful defense of his life and
property; the State Attorney for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, R. J. Larizza, preliminarily
finding that the shooting was justifiable.

The investigation revealed that Xavier Williams, Christopher Pettigrew, Zared Matthews, Jeffrey Balcom, and Paul Pettigrew traveled to 2090 Cowan Road in a white Dodge SUV, while acting in concert and with the intent of committing a robbery to the residents. During the robbery attempt, the homeowner armed himself with a handgun. He shot and killed Paul Pettigrew, thereby exposing the remaining defendants to the repercussions of the Florida Felony Murder statutes.

All four surviving robbers remain in custody without
bond. The defendant Zared Matthews is
also charged with a violation of §893.13.1a2 Florida Statutes; the sale
of a Schedule I controlled substance, Marijuana, a third-degree felony. Bond on the additional charge is set at
$50,000, according to booking records at the St Johns County Detention
Facility.